Gold-separator.



UNirED STATES Patented June 30, 1903. A

PATENT OFFICE.

GOLD-SEPARATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 732,149,-dated June 30,1903.

ll Application filed May 17, 1902. $erial No. 107,753. (1% model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN WESTHA- VER, a subject of the King of GreatBritain,

residing at Mahone Bay, in the Province of Nova Scotia and Dominion ofOanada,have invented new and useful Improvements in Gold- Separators, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for separating gold from auriferousearth or gravel; and it consists in a peculiar separator, which, whilesimple and compact in construction, is possessed of large capacity, iscalculated to save every particle of gold, and is especially efficientin separating fine and flaky gold from dirt and gravel and saving thesame.

The invention will be fully understood from the following descriptionand claim when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure l is a longitudinal central section of an apparatuscomprising my improved separator; Fig. 2, a plan view of the same; Figs.3 and 4, transverse sections taken in the planes indicated by the brokenlines 3 3 and 44, respectively, extending through Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 5,an enlarged detail perspective view illustrative of the peculiar andadvantageous riftle-bars of the separator, and Fig. 6, a detaillongitudinal section of a riiflebar section cast of metal.

Referring by letter to said drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1to 5 thereof, A is a dump-box in which the gold-bearing dirt or gravelis placed, and B my improved separator. In the present and preferredembodiment of my invention the separator comprises a sluice-box or.chute a, the upper end of the bottom of which is disposed below thelower end of the dump-box in order to make the upper sides of therifile-bars' and plainsurface sections, presently described, flush withthe bottom of the dump-box, plain-surface sections b, and riftle-barsections 0, arranged alternately and removably on the bottom of thechute or sluice-box, side retainingstrips cl, bearing on the bottom ofthedumpbox and on the bed-plates e of the riffie-bar sections atopposite ends of the riffle-bars, Fig. 3, and also in rabbets f of theplain-surface sections, and pins 9 for removably securing theretaining-strips, and consequently the plain-surface and riffle-barsections, in their proper operative positions. The disposition of theupper sides of the plain-surface sections and rifile-bars flush with thebottom of the dump-box and the described arrangement of retaining-strips(1 leaves the surface of the separator clear and free for the passageover it of gravel, which is essential to the proper operation of theseparator. When it is desired to clean up the separator, the pins 9 andstrips 01 are removed and the riffle-bar sections 0 are taken from thesluicebox, and their collected. cleanings are dis charged into areceptacle, after which the said sections 0 are replaced and secured inthe sluice-box, and the cleanings are panned out in the usual well-knownmanner.

The plain-surface sections 17 and riffle-bar sections 0 are preferablyof hard wood, and

the outer sides of the riffle-bars are covered with sheet metal h inorder to prevent wear thereof. Said sections 1) a may, however, beformed partly or entirely of metal, in which event the strips d and pins9 will be unnecessary, since the sections being heavy will of themselvesremain in proper position in the chute or sluice-box. It will also benoted that when the sections a are made entirely of metal the necessityof covering the outer sides of the riifle-bars with sheet metal isobviated. A riffie-bar section of cast metal is shown in Fig. 6.

In the practical operation of the apparatus gold-bearing earth andgravel are placed in the dump-box A and carried by a current of waterthrough the separator-i. 6., over the riffle-bar sections andplain-surface sections thereof. Incident to such passage of the waterand auriferous earth or gravel gold will.

be caught and held in the riffles 0 between the riffle-bars D of thefirst section 0, and if any fine particles of gold remain in the gravelafter passing said first section the adjacent plain-surface section bwill act as a concen- BlflliOf-t. (3., will permit the gravel to passsmoothly over itwith the result that the gold will settle down onsaidplain-surface section and'on arriving at the next riffle-bar sectionwill be caught and held in the riffles 0 thereof. From this point theoperation described is repeated until the gravel passes from thedischarge end of the chute or sluice-box as waste tailings.

As will be readily observed by reference to Figs. 1 and 6, the paralleltransversely-disposed riffle-bars D of the sections are of peculiar formin cross-sectiou-that is to say, they have their upper sides 1', whichare presented to and face the current of water disposed at an angle ofthirty degrees from the perpendicular, while their lower or oppositesidesj are inclined in the same direction, but

at an angle of forty degrees from the perpendicnlar. By virtue of thisformation of the riffle-bars it will be observed that the interveningriffles O are wider at the top than at the bottom; also, that theriffle-bars will cause a reflux of water in the riffles G, which willeject stones and gravel through the wide upper portions of the rifflesand at the same time keep the sand and gravel in the riffles in constantand lively agitation. This agitation enables the gold to sink throughthe sand to the lower portions of the riffles O, which, being ofacute-angle form in cross-section, are calculated to retain the gold.The freedom with which stones and large gravel may be forced by thereflux of the water through the wide upper portions of the riffles Oeffectually prevents such stones or gravel from collecting in theseparator and offering an obstruction to the incoming pulp and water.The riffles, shaped as shown in cross-section,cause reflux of the waterand enable the same to eject gravel and small stones from the rifflesand keep the sand and gravel in the riffies in constant and livelyagitation or motion, thereby permitting the gold by reason of itssuperior specific gravity to settle through the sand to the bottoms ofthe riffles and there remain. Said riffles C are by preference aboutfiveeighths (it?) of an inch wide at the top and foureighths (a) of aninch wide at the bottom, this in order to assist the reflux action inejecting small stones and gravel and keeping the remaining gravel andsand in motion. Moreover, the riffles of the peculiar form and sizestated arewide enough to permit fine gold and nuggets to drop therein,but notwide enough to admit stones too large for the refiux action toeject. The plain-surface sections act as concentrators-4'. e.,concentrate the gold down on their smooth surfaces,where the motion ofthe water is less than on top, so the gold passes slowly along, andhence drops into the first riffle it reaches. The arrangement of thesurfaces of the plain-surface sections and the riffle-bar sections inthe same plane and level is advantageous, because no obstruction isoffered to the free and easy passage of stones and gravel over thesurfaces and out at the end of the sluiceboX as waste tailings. Inconstructing the riffle-sections the exact width of the rifflebars isimmaterial. It made of wood,the riffle-bars should be about half an inchwide, and consequently five-eighths of an inch wide at the bottom, toform the proper bevels and to afford sufficient substance for securelynailing them to the bed-plates and for ironplating on top. If theriffle-bar'sections are made of iron, then the riffle-bars may beoneeighth g) of an inch wide on top, and consequently two-eighths of aninch wide at the bottom, to form the proper bevels, as before, and toobviate great weight. Said riffie-bars are integral with a bed-plateoneeighth (g) of an inch thick, as shown in Fig. 6. The plain-surfacesections are preferably of wood for the sake of lightness and are platedwith boiler-plate.

For ordinary hand-workings the dump-box and sluice-box are each madeabout one foot wide and for larger operations wider in proportion.sluice-box are both placed in the same plane with a minimum grade orpitch of one-half inch or a maximum grade of three-quarters of an inchto a foot, according to the rapidity of the working desired and thejudgment of the practical miner.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that my separator is verysimple and light and susceptible of being conveniently carried 'fromplace to place and set up and operated;

also, that the separator is efiectual in operation and saves everyparticle of gold.

I have entered into a detailed description of the construction andrelative arrangement of parts embraced in the present and preferredembodiment of my invention in order to impart a full, clear, and exactunderstanding of the same. I do not desire, however, to be understood asconfining myself to such specific construction and arrangement of parts,as such changes or modifications may be made in practice as fairly fallwithin the scope of my claim.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is v The separator described comprising the dump-box A,the chute or sluice-box, removable, plain-surface sections arranged inthe chute or sluice-box, and having rabbets f, removable riffle-barsections arranged in the chute or sluice box, alternately with theplainsurface sections, and flush with said plainsurface section and thebottom of the dumpbox; said riffle-bar sections each havingabedplate,and parallel, transverse riffle-bars, the upper and lower sides of whichare straight, and also having riffles, between the bars, the bottoms ofwhich riffles are straight and parallel to the surfaces of theriffle-bars, the upper and lower sides of the bars being inclined in acommon direction from the riffle-bottoms, the upper sides in a lessdegree than the lower sides, whereby spaces of acute-angle shape areformed between the rifile-bottoms and the upper sides of the riffle-barsto retain gold, and the riffles are rendered wider at the top than atthe bottom to permit of the In operation the dump-box and free escape ofpebbles and the iike, retainmy hand in presence of two subscribingwiting-strips bearing on the bottom of the dumpnesses. box, in therabbets of the plain-surface sections and on the riffle-bar sections atthe ends I BENJAMIN WESTHAVER' 5 of the riflie-bars, and pins removablyseour- Witnesses:

ing said strips in the chute or sluice-box. HENRY (J. HALL,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set ELLIOTT J. HEWLINGS.

